What are Carpal Tunnel Symptoms?
Carpal tunnel symptoms include radiating pain down the arms and into the hands. Other symptoms of carpal tunnel include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hands. It can be difficult to sleep and do simple activities of daily living, such as holding a coffee cup.
The specific nerve involved in carpal tunnel is the median nerve. The median nerve runs the length of the arm and goes through a passage (tunnel)in the wrist. The compression of this nerve in the tunnel of the wrist bones is how this diagnosis gets its name; carpal tunnel.
How does Chiropractic Address Carpal Tunnel?
- Analysis of the spine particularly the neck is addressed. This may include X-ray, nerve function testing, orthopedic / neurological testing of the nerves that come out of the neck and that go down into the arms and hands.
- When there is misalignment of the bones in the neck this is called Subluxation. Subluxation is misalignment of the spine or bones in the spine and this pinches nerves. The pinched nerve can cause pain, numbness, or tingling into the hands.
- Chiropractic adjustments address subluxation of the bones in the neck that go down into the arms and hands which can be the cause of carpal tunnel.
- Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in my cases if the condition is addressed early on. Dr. Brenda has helped many people who have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel or have had symptoms of carpal tunnel. Reach out to Dr. Brenda for a free consultation to see if your pain or carpal tunnel symptoms can be helped utilizing chiropractic care!
How can Carpal Tunnel be Prevented or Dealt With Until You Get Help?
Posture is key when addressing carpal tunnel. You want to make sure that you are not putting too much pressure on your wrists when you are working at your keyboard. Dr. Brenda can make specific recommendations based on your workstation and does this complimentary so you can put yourself in the best position to heal. Repetitive activities such as wringing out clothes i.e. cleaning or working on a factory line can also cause carpal tunnel pain. Regular exercises to address the strength in the hands and wrist can be beneficial, along with squeezing a small ball to increase the strength in your hands.
How is Chiropractic Care Different from Medical Treatment when Addressing Carpal Tunnel?
Chiropractic addresses the cause of carpal tunnel, specifically Dr. Brenda seeks to understand exactly where the median nerve (often involved in carpal tunnel pain) is being pinched and how that leads into the tunnel of the wrists causing pain, tingling (pins and needles), weakness, and where the hands feel like they are asleep. A specific chiropractic adjustment is usually administered in the neck because that is where the nerve starts and then the bones of the wrists are addressed because that is where the median nerve ends. Chiropractic care can involve many types of adjustments. Dr. Brenda seeks to understand the best type for you and to help address carpal tunnel. Chiropractic care is safe, effective, and not invasive.
Medical care on the other hand can start with steroids, pain medications, and/or physical therapy. However, if these tools do not work, then oftentimes surgery is recommended. Carpal tunnel surgery is more invasive than chiropractic care and a lot of more healing time is involved, along with more pain because of pain that you experience after surgery, going through physical therapy, and more time off from work and doing the activities you enjoy doing can be emotionally damaging.
Reach out to Dr. Brenda to see if you can be helped with conservative chiropractic care. If you know someone who suffers with carpal tunnel pain, please share this article with them.
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